The Bittersweet Angel
by Leia Avenrose
Summary: *Chp 2*//They shouted at her. Loud and hard. Telling her to burn. Tell her to leave them alone. Hard objects were thrown at Hitomi, hitting her everywhere, making her body go completely numb, making it bleed as two strange looking creatures came up to her
1. ~~Prologue~~ The beautiful Stranger

_Disclaimer:_ *sobs* I'm so sorry, Van!! I don't own _Escaflowne©_...

_Dedication:_ To all those who love me and my stories, and also to those who I love. _I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!_

_~~~~*~~~~_

~~_The bittersweet Angel_~~

_~~~~*~~~~_

~_Prologue_~

~~_Beautiful Stranger_~~

" Mother? Who is that girl? " a little bot that age of seven asked as he pointed to the girl sitting in the chair across from him. 

" Hmm? "

" Her, look! Before she disappears again! " he cried, reaching over to tug on her arm.

Varie de Fanel looked up from her book and gasped. It fell from her hands. She jumped up and blinked, bringing a hand to her mouth as she shook her head, " No! You shouldn't be here! Be gone... "

The little girl sitting in the chair blinked and then stood up. She slowly walked over to the little boy and extended her hand

" No! Leave him be... he means no harm... " Varie cried as she ran forward to snatch her son up place him behind her.

The girl looked at Varie with soft sea-green eyes and shook her head, " If only you'd understand, Varie... everything would have been alright... " she whispered, her voice echoing throughout the large dining room.

Varie raised her hands up and placed them over her ears. Van Slanzar de Fanel blinked his confused reddish-brown eyes and looked at the girl from behind his mother's skirts. He suddenly brushed past her to run to the girl and grab her hand as she extended it to him again.

Van's breath was sucked right from his lungs as his eyes went wide. Images of a tall, beautiful girl dressed in strange clothes, floating fortresses, and a large robot like machine that turned into a dragon flashed before his eyes. The girl in front of him suddenly let out a cry of pain and disappeared from sight.

Van suddenly felt arms encircle him from behind as he was lifted up into strong arms. He blinked and peered up at his father; Goau de Fanel, his features exactly like his son's when he was his age.

" What are you doing? Why didn't you listen to your mother? " the King scolded his son gently.

Van's bottom lip trembled lightly and he began to cry, " The girl... she was sad. She wanted me to help her, to stay with her... "

Goau glanced over at his wife who was watching Van with worried eyes, " Van... please. I think you need to lay down.. " Varie whispered as she reached out to brush the raven black hair that fell in front of his brow back.

Goau nodded, " Your mother's right, Van... " he said as Varie opened the door to Van's bedroom.

Van shook his head and began to squirm in his father's arms, " _No!_ You're wrong, I don't have to lay down. I need to find that girl. She's sad and wants me to be with her.... "

Varie shook her head and then placed a hand to her forehead, " Van... she's not sad. She's not who she really is, and who you think she is... she only means to bring you harm. You have to stay _away_ from her... "

Van ignored his mother and remained silent in his father's arms. Goau sighed heavily and then gently sat his son on his bed. He backed away and crossed his arms over his chest.

" F-father! There's a strange girl walking up and down the hallways! " a boy with light aqua hair and crimson eyes cried as he burst into the room. 

Goau whirled around to face his eldest son; Folken Lacour de Fanel, " Where! Show me this girl... " he demanded as he followed his son from the room.

Folken swallowed and led him down the hall to where the girl Van had claimed to see. She walked up and down the dimly lit hall, her head bowed and her arms tied behind her back. She appeared to her the same age as Van, her long sandy brown hair hung around her face, curtaining it from view. Low, tortured sobs echoed through the hall as the girl walked past them.

Goau blinked, not knowing what to do or say, outstretched a hand to her as she walked past him. His hand passed right through her.

" C-can't you hear them? She's crying... she's sad... " Van's scared, small voice came out from behind his father.

Goau whirled around to face Van, " W-who is she? Where is she from? " he asked gently.

" She's gone.... " Van whispered.

Goau whirled back around to face the girl, but Van was right, she wasn't there anymore.

" Van... come... " Varie called out to her son as she walked over to him and gently took her hand in his.

Van shook his head, but allowed his mother to walk him from the room, " M-mother? Will she ever come here? To visit me? " he asked quietly.

Varie looked down at her son's puzzled expression and she smiled lightly, " No, dear... she's not ever going to come here and put your life in danger... " she assured him.

Folken looked at his father, " Is mother telling the truth? "

Goau looked at Folken and then reached out to trousle his hair, " Don't worry about it, Folken... your mother would never lie... " he assured him lightly.

Folken sighed lightly and looked at the doorway where his mother and younger brother had disappeared in and shook his head. Something was going to happen, he knew it. He just couldn't figure out what. A few days later, Goau de Fanel died peacefully with his wife crying softly at his bedside...

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	2. ~~Chapter 1~~The first 'accident'

_Disclaimer:_ I'm not going to say it... I have 6-8 other Escaflowne Fanfictions out, so I'm not going to say it...

_Dedication:_ To all who love me and my stories, and also to those I love!!

_~~~~*~~~~_

~_Chapter 1_~

~~_The First 'Accident'_~~

" You can't expect me to do this, do you? " twenty-three year old, Hitomi Kanzaki groaned as she plowed a hand through her long sandy brown hair that cascaded down her back, ending just at her butt.

Yukari Uchida and Sumono Amano lookd at her and nodded. Yukari walked over to her best friend and gently took Hitomi's hand in her own, " Hitomi... please. Just do this for me... I don't want to go out with him. Could you please? For your very best friend as least? "

Hitomi frowned at Amano, " And what about him? Me and him were suppose to do something tonight! You can't just expect me t-- "

" Whoa! Hitomi it'll be alright. I can take Yukari out. And besides.... there's always another night... " Amano assured her calmly, raising a hand in the air to silence her.

Yukari nodded, " And besides... you and him will get along wonderfully. He's into track too... "

Hitomi wrenched her hand away from Yukari's and backed away, looking at Amano the whole time, " So, that's it, then? You're letting me off? "

Amano sighed and shrugged uncomfortably as he looked down at the ground, " Hitomi... please! Don't be like that, I -- "

" How long, Amano? " Hitomi demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.

The light breeze blew past them, causing Hitomi's long summerdress to flap against her legs. Amano cocked an eyebrow, " What? Exc --- "

" Cut the crap! How long have you and Yukari been seeing each other? "

Yukari glanced at Amano and then at Hitomi, " About five months... " she replied calmly.

Hitomi's mouth fell open, but she quickly snapped it shut, " I knew it! " she cried. " I just damn well knew it! Why didn't you say anything? "

Amano sighed and raked a hand through his short dark brown hair, " We didn't want to hurt you, Hitomi... "

" H-hurt me?! " Hitomi sputtered.

Yukari nodded, " Yes... you're our best friend, Hitomi... we didn't want to hurt you... "

Hitomi whirled around to face Yukari's strangely calm face, " _Was_ your best friend! How could you?! You've already hurt me by telling me just now! Wh-why do you always have to be such a bitch at times, Yukari?! " she spat venomously before whirling around and walking away.

Amano reached out and grabbed her elbow, " Hitomi! We meant to tell you... "

Hitomi wrenched her arm from his grasp and spun around, " When? When you two were married?! When the baby came along? Don't even try to say that you're sorry, cause you're not... "

Amano sighed, slightly exasperated, " Hitomi, I'm sorry. I really am.... "

Hitomi shook her head, " No, you're not, Amano. Neither are you Yukari! Thanks a lot, Amano.... "

Amano blinked, " F-for what? "

Hitomi quickly raised her arm and then allowed it to fly. Her hand connected with Amano's cheek, making a hollow sound that echoed to her ears. Yukari gasped loudly and ran over to Amano as he stumbled back a few feet. Hitomi blinked and began to back away from the both of them. She blinked again and when she opened her eyes, Amano and Yukari were gone, as was the entire park and the playground.

Hitomi outstretched a hand, " A-amano? Yukari? Where'd you guys go? "

No answer. Only silence, and the sudden whining of gusting wind everynow and then. Hitomi shook her head. She took a step forward, rocks and the shells of dead bugs crunched under her strappy sandals as she walked. Around her, the park was no more. It was replaced by what appeared to be some sort of battlefield, little with bloody limbs and limbs of what looked like machines.

Hitomi grimaced as she heard the shells of the dead bugs crunching under her feet. She continued to walk when whispering voices in her ears caused her to stop in her tracks. She swallowed, blinked and then whirled around, " W-who's there? Amano? Y-yukari? "

" No.... "

Hitomi swallowed again, " T-then who? "

" Listen to me... the time will come when you are called from this world and this planet. Do not oblige! If you go, you will be endangering other lives. Do you want that, Hitomi? "

Hitomi shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest to ward off the cold gusts of wind, " N-no. But.... what are you talking about? "

" Do not listen to the calls of the pendant, Hitomi... you'll only bring death upon yourself and upon another world... " the soft voice faded out.

Hitomi blinked, completely confused, " I... I don't understand! How will I bring death upon others and myself?! " she shouted.

Getting no answer, she whirled back around to walk away but her face connected with something fleshy, yet very muscular. Hitomi stumbled back and unable to regain her balance, she fell to the ground. She blinked and looked up at what she bumped into. A man about her age hung from a large tree with twisted branches that twined over and with each other.

His head hung at an odd angle. His raven black hair hung in front of his blood stained and deathly pale face. His red loose shirt hung off his body in pieces, gaping holes decorated the red fabric that had been stained with blood for as long as it would hang there on the dead body.

Hitomi stood up and took a step back, but then stopped as she noticed the wings. They were broken, snapped in half and the once white, silky, long feathers now stained with dry, crusted blood as the crude, rough looking rope tied around the top bones of the wings caused them to hang forward in an abnormal position.

Stained feathers decorated the ground around Hitomi's feet and underneath the body as she continued to gaze at it, not knowing what else to do. There was nowhere to run to and hide, nowhere to crawl into and sleep except for the ground. Hitomi felt the air being sucked from her lungs as a cold gust of wind blew into her, catching her offguard and she stumbled forward, landing on the ground on her hands and knees.

Hitomi blinked and then shook her head to clear it. She lifted her head up and looked at the man's gentle and peaceful looking face. Something around his neck gave off a glimmer and it caught her eye. She stood up and placed a hand to her mouth to stifle a loud gasp as she reached up with her other hand and grasped the pink pendant hanging around his neck.

The man's head snapped up and his eyes flew open. He looked down at Hitomi and in his reddish-brown eyes, anger and fear flashed and then stayed. Hitomi gasped and jumped back but the mand hanging in the tree shot his hand out and he grasped her forearm tightly. He grunted once and lifted Hitomi straight off the ground effortlessly.

Hitomi struggled against him, kicked at him, punched him, but he wouldn't let her go. He hung onto her tightly until he had her face an inch from his own. He looked deep into her eyes and then narrowed his eyes.

" You have no right to be here, witch! " he spat venomously, his voice as dry as sandpaper as if it were being scraped against dry bark. " Why have you come back? To poison my country? My home? "

Hitomi swallowed and shook her head, " I... I don't understand what you're trying to say. I'm not here to poi -- "

" _Silence!_ " he bellowed in her face, causing her to cringe. " You will _not_ speak without being granted permission to do so... look at what you did to my home, witch! You're going to pay for your many crimes... with your life! "

Hitomi blinked and then sighed lightly. She looked down at the ground, " Just let me go so I can go home. I don't want to be here anymore... "

" You think you want to be here? I'm _dead!_ And it's all your fault. If only you hadn't shown up, then none of this would've happened! Dilandau wouldn't have returned, Fanelia wouldn't have been ambushed in the middle of the night, and I would still be alive to rule my country. But, no! You had to come along and ruin everything and bring this plague upon us... _witch!_ " he spat at her again.

Hitomi snorted. She had had enough already with this. She wanted to go home, not be here with some dead guy who was accusing her of doing something she didn't even know she had done. Hitomi's free hand swung out and she slammed it into the man's right cheek. The man didn't cringe, didn't flinch, and didn't even make a sound of anger or protest.

All that happened was his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head, the skin on his face quickly wrinkled and then melted off, leaving the smell of rotting flesh to burn in the air and in Hitomi's nostrils. His ears fell off his head in chunks as did his hair. The light current of the wind caught the hair and it flew away with the wind, leaving Hitomi to hang in the air, being held up by the now fleshless hand of the dead man, who hung in the tree.

Hitomi shook her head and began to frail about wildly, ' _I can't die here... this isn't happening, it's all just a dream, and I'm going to awaken in a few moments..._ ' she told herself in assurance that no one else could give.

But nothing good happened to her. Hitomi slowly gave up with struggling and frailing about wildly and just remained still. She slowly closed her eyes as she felt her body grow heavy. There was quiet snapping of bone and Hitomi's eyes closed completely as the arm that held her up suddenly gave up with holding her weight and she and the bone exposed arm fell to the ground.

It seemed like an eternity before she hit the ground. When she finally felt the hard ground connect with her numb body and head, she heard the familiar sounds of birds chirping, children laughing, and another thing, a frantic voice that called her name over, and over until she decided to open her eyes.

Hitomi's eyes slowly fluttered open and she found herself looking up into the face of Amano, " She's coming around! " he shouted over his shoulder to Yukari who was pacing the ground behind him, nervously.

Hitomi blinked and then slowly sat up, ' _The pendant!_ '

Hitomi's hand shot up and she reached for the little pink pendant that usually hung around her neck. She found it comforting as she wrapped her hand around it, and relaxed somewhat from what had happened before. Yukari looked over at Hitomi troubled expression and went to stand behind Amano.

" Hitomi? Are you alright? What happened? " Yukari asked, her voice full of concern.

Hitomi turned her head to the sound of the voice and when her eyes focused of Yukari's face, she suddenly snorted and then scowled as she stood up, " Just leave me alone. Don't you think you caused me enough trouble? " she asked as she brushed herself off, causing dead leaves and grass to sprinkle and spiral to the ground helplessly.

Hitomi took a step back and tore the pendant from her neck. She held it in two hands as she began to walk backwards, away from her two very best friends who had caused her enough pain for the day. Yukari began to walk towards her, not willing to give up just yet, but Amano reached out and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

Yukari struggled against him, but after realizing that he wasn't going to let her go, she gave up and went still. She and Amano watched as Hitomi took a few more steps back, clutching her pendant tightly in her hands as she closed her eyes and lifted her face up to the sky.

A single word was uttered from her mouth as a bright column of light dropped from the cloudless sky and pounced on Hitomi, " Away.... "

Yukari gasped and then began to struggle in Amano's arms, " No! We can't let her go... let me go, Amano. We have to go and get her... " she cried out as she whirled around in his arms and began to beat his chest.

Amano closed his eyes, but didn't flinch or wince as she continued to beat his chest. He only held onto her tighter, " Hush, Yukari... let her go. I think she needs to go and get away from here and from us.... " he whispered in a pained voice against her hair.

Yukari went silent and still in his arms as she buried her face into his chest and wept silently. Amano gently smoothed back her hair and watched as Hitomi rose up into the air and then disappeared from sight as the thin column of light slid up into the sky, leaving a little shower of sparkles that quickly disappeared from sight.

Amano sighed lightly and then bent over slightly to slip an arm under Yukari's knees and then scoop her into his arms as he began to head back towards his apartment, thinking about Hitomi the entire way there....

_~~~~*~~~~_

" You're not bad... at least you're getting better at this... " Allen Crusade Schezar pointed out as he blocked an attack from his opponent.

Van Slanzar de Fanel flashed him a smile and then quickly reached up to wipe his brow on the back of his hand as he held onto his sword tightly in the other one. He looked at Allen and backed away quickly. He stopped in front of a thick stone pillar and leaned back against it, trying to catch his breath.

" I guess you could say that I'm getting better... now that you have me practicing.... " Van added in a low mutter under his breath.

Allen cocked a light brow as he backed up against the far wall and caught his breath, " I heard that, Van.... "

Van threw his head back and laughed, " I believe it was meant for your ears, Allen. I do believe that's the one reason why I said it in the first place.... " he said lightly as he stepped forward towards Allen, his sword dragging against the ground as he walked.

Allen cringed lightly as he began to make his way towards Van, " Uh, could you not do that. Making that wretched noise isn't going to do you any good, Van...... " he muttered outloud as he lifted his sword and held it out in front of him.

Van frowned in thought as he counted the feet from where he stood to where Allen was standing. Not even three feet. This was going to be easy. Allen cocked his head to the side and watched the King, " Well? We don't have all day you know... let's get this show on the road.... " he called out.

Van nodded his head absentmindedly as a smirk decorated his handsome features, " Whatever you want, Allen... "

Allen shot him a sardonic smirk, " Yeah, thanks, Van.... "

Van let out a laugh and then changed it to a battlecry as he quickly switched his sword to face the side and charged head on. Allen snorted and charged at Van as well, letting his own battlecry escape his mouth. Their swords were pointed straight at each other as they ran towards each other, not really paying any attention to the sudden burst of light that flashed in front of them and then quickly disappeared. Their vision blurred slightly but they continued to charge, knowing that no one was standing in front of them

' _One foot left, and then I'll show him about not charging agressively enough...._ ' Van thought in slight amusement as he blinked the flash of light from his eyes and let another battlecry tear from his lips as he thrust his sword forward with all the strength he pocessed.

Allen blinked the flash of light from his eyes and lifted his sword to block Van's attack, but it ended up connecting with something hard. A strangled sob came out from in front of him and he stopped quickly, immediately assuming the worst for his friend. Van's sword plunged into something unknown to him and he heard another strangled sob sound from in front of him, quickly following the one he heard before.

Allen and Van both stopped dead in their tracks. Their swords were no longer in their hands, but embedded deep into the body of a strange looking girl with long sandy brown hair and bangs. Her soft sea-green eyes were wide as was her mouth. A little trail of crimson slipped from the corner of her mouth and slid down her chin to drip from her jaw to be soaked up by the summerdress.

Hitomi blinked and tried to swallow, but she ended up gagging slightly and then swallowing. She watched as some strange looking man in front of her slowly advanced towards her, his gloved hand outstretched to her. To her right, a tall blonde haired man came into view as he took a spot beside the raven black haired man.

" V-van... I didn't see her, did you? " Allen hissed in his ear. " Where'd she come from? "

Van nimbly shook his head and rushed over to the girls side as she slowly fell to the side, the handles of the swords only showing, besides for the tips of the blades that protruded from both sides of her body that was soaked in her own blood. Van reached out and yanked his sword from the girl's chest, extracting a loud, and pained scream from the girl as she fell forward against Van.

Van handled the girl carefully, praying that he didn't tear her wounds anymore then they should've been teared as he rested her forehead against his shoulder. Allen quickly walked over behind her and swiftly pulled his sword from her back, this time extracting a muffled cry as she buried her face into the curve of Van's neck.

Hitomi's breathing was labored and it came out in short, raspy gasps. Van stripped himself of his shirt and placed it over the front wounds and Allen stripped himself of his own shirt and then placed it on her back wounds. Van scooped the girl into his arms and as soon as he began to half jog, half run towards the door leading to the staircase that led to the front hall from the roof, both shirts were completely drenched through with blood.

Van let out a stream of curses as he now ran towards his room. He kicked open the door and rushed over to the bed where he gently laid the injured girl down. When he stood up to look down into her face, he watched as her soft features were contorted in a mask of pain. Hitomi's face went as white as the bedsheet that she was laying on and she felt her entire body go numb as she continued to lose blood rapidly.

Allen rushed into the room, followed closely by Puck; Fanelia's best doctor, and Millerna Sara Aston; Asturia's third princess who was also a doctor. Van looked at Millerna and then down at Hitomi, he stripped his glove off and then reached down to gently caress her pale cheek. Millerna rushed over to the bedside and Van flashed Hitomi an encouraging smile before he was shoved aside by the two doctors.

Millerna's eyes went over the body twice before she reached into her blue bag at her side and pulled out a scapal. She glanced over at Allen and then at Van, " What happened? "

Van frowned, " Me and Allen were practicing with our swords, and this girl just suddenly appeared right in the path of them... we didn't even see her. She wasn't there before we decided to charge at each other... "

Allen nodded, " Yes. Then, we ended up plunging both of our swords into her by accident. How bad does it look...? "

Millerna sighed heavily and glanced over at Puck. Puck licked her lips, " It's bad, boys.... one of the swords entered through her right lung, and the other one just pierced the other one, slicing through the lining and tissue.... " she replied in a shaky voice as she reached out and pulled out a needle from Millerna's blue bag.

Van nodded and walked away from the room, Allen followed closely, making sure to close the door behind him. He looked over at Van as he sat down on a bench across the hall, " Hey... why so glum? We saved her, didn't we? " Allen assured him as he went and sat down beside him.

Van shrugged and leaned back against the bench, closing his eyes against the memory of the girl who use to visit him when he was younger and how his mother had explained to him that she wasn't who she was suppose to be. But what was she really suppose to be? Who was she suppose to be?

Allen glanced over at Van and then sighed heavily as he ran a hand over his face and then through his hair, " Van... don't worry. We have Millerna and Puck in there, taking care of the girl. I'm sure she'll be alright.... "

Van shook his head and then opened his eyes to look at Allen. His reddish-brown eyes were filled with doubt and had a trace of fear within their mysterious depths, " Allen, it's not that that I'm worried about. I can trust Millerna and Puck. It's something else that has me worried... "

Allen quirked an eyebrow and propped his chin on his knuckles as he rested his elbow on his knee and leaned over, " What would that be? That she's going to charge you for assasination, Van? " he joked.

Van shot him a nasty glare and shook his head hard, " No! I feel as if I've already met her.... "

Allen snorted, " You have some imagination, Fanel.... "

Van sighed, slightly exasperated, " Allen... there's nothing funny or amusing about this. We almost killed a woman, and all you can do is sit here laughing about it, joking around about it? " he shook his head. " Well, I'm not laughing, and I'm definitely _not_ joking around about this. My mother told me about her.... "

Allen cleared his throat uncomfortably and then brushed some of his long honey-gold hair away from his face. Staring into suddenly pale face of Van, he blinked and then frowned in confusion, " W-what did your mother tell you about her...? "

Van suddenly looked down at the ground, " M-mother always used to tell me that she was going to be the end of Gaea... if I remember clearly, her name is Hitomi Kanzaki..... "

_~~~~*~~~~_


	3. ~~Chapter 2~~ The Death Card

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own _Escaflowne©_...

_Dedication:_ To anyone and everyone....

_~~~~*~~~~_

_Author's Note:_ This chapter is going to turn out weird in the end if you don't read it carefully. I'm sooo sorry that it's sooo long. I tried to shorten it (yeah... right! ^~) but this is how it originally ended up. Don't worry. I haven't ditched my other Escaflowne fics out there, including _Whispered Promises_. That one I'm going to work on tonight and will have in either tonight or tomorrow afternoon, it all depends if my dad gets rid of that _Choke.exe_ virus that had gotten into my computer... I'm on a laptop... one of my friends, spending the night at her house, I begged her to use it... *grins wickedly* Ciao for now! Remember! _Read carefully!!_ And don't give up if it suddenly gets boring in the middle... :p

_~~~~*~~~~_

~_Chapter 2_~

.:_The Death Card_:.

_~~~~*~~~~_

Hitomi groaned lightly and slowly opened her eyes. She found herself staring up at a dark maroon canopy and she suddenly chuckled to herself as she sat up quickly only to fall back down onto the pillows, wincing and biting her lip hard to keep from screaming out in pain as fire flared to life throughout her upper torso and lower.

She closed her eyes and began to breath deeply, trying to get the pain to go away. Hitomi clutched the blanket tightly in her hand and waited as the pain subsided slowly. She then opened her eyes and blinked away the tears that were caused by the unbelieveable pain she had just felt.

" My God... what the hell happened? Where am I? This doesn't look like home... " she muttered to herself as she pushed aside the blanket and welcomed the cool breeze coming in from the open balcony doors, the white transparent curtains swaying and rippling in it.

Hitomi slowly and carefully got up and and out of the bed. She stood up and then looked down at the strange looking nightgown she was wearing. She frowned and then slowly padded bare foot to the cabinet in the far corner of the room that looked like a closet.

Hitomi pulled open the door and was suddenly hit with a sweet musky scent that only men would wear. She wrinkled her nose and then reached into the dark closet to pull out a heavy velvety black robe. She draped it over her body and tied the sash at the middle to fit her smil figure nicely.

She then made her way towards the door, loving the smell of the robe as she tried to bury herself into it's warmth and fullness. Hitomi sighed lightly as she pulled open the door and walked out into the hallway, wincing as she banged her arm up against the doorframe, causing a line of pain to shoot up her arm.

Hitomi suddenly sneezed quietly and then began to make her way through the dimly lit and long hall. She examined the pictures that hung on the walls carefully, as she slowly made her way to the end of the hall. She came to a stop in front of a wall with a picture of a beautiful woman with pitch black hair and ruby coloured eyes.

Two red small dots stood out on her forehead just above the beginning of her dark eyebrows. Her eyes seemed to follow Hitomi's every move and Hitomi cocked her head to the side as she continued to examine the picture. There was a light whispering throughout the hall and Hitomi whirled around a couple of times, trying to figure out what and who it was.

" To your right... look... " the voice softly whispered into her ear.

Hitomi whirled to the side to find herself facing a door that was slightly open. She walked up to it and pushed it open and then walk out into the open, wrapping her arms around her chest as she walked. Birds chirped softly in the distance and the voices of some men floated through the air to her.

Hitomi slowly and quietly made her way towards the voices and found herself standing behind a tree, looking at a bunch of men drinking from mugs. They all sat around a bonfire, all but one man who sat off in the far corner, leaned up against a tree, arms crossed over his chest, nose crinkled, brow furrowed and lips pursed as if deep in thought.

She cocked her head to the side and then shook it, " What am I doing here? I should be inside... where _is_ here, anyway? " she muttered to herself as she turned to make her way back to the castle but a twig snapped under her feet.

" Who's out there? " one of the men shouted as he stood up quickly and began to make his way towards the tree where Hitomi was standing behind.

Hitomi froze and then cursed herself before suddenly with great effort taking off at a rather fast pace considering her chest still hurt. They followed her. She was already panting as soon as she reached the middle of the courtyard, but she could still hear their footsteps behind her, following her.

She hit her big toe on a large rock and a soft cry of pain escaped her lips, as she stumbled forward. The man following her quickly caught up and tackled her to the ground from behind. Another cry of pain escaped her again only this one was louder and more agonised as she hit the ground hard, her chest being crushed into the ground from the heavy weight on top of her.

Hitomi groaned and then tears came to her eyes as she felt something inside of her rip. The man on top of her quickly got off and yanked her off the ground to look at her. When his eyes trailed from her pain contorted face to her chest where blood was beginning to seep through her nightgown and soak the robe. He knitted his brows together and then began to shout to the other men over his shoulder.

" Come!! Hurry... quick. Sire!! She's injured.... " he cried as Hitomi felt her eyes close as she slumped against him.

Van's ears twitched slightly and he blinked from his thoughts. His head shot up as he heard the shout for help and he felt Allen's eyes on him, " What's going on? " he asked as he stood up quickly, brushing the dirt from his pants.

Allen shrugged, " I don't know... "

Van began to make his way, following his guards as they led the way to where the soldier who had tackled Hitomi stood with her slumped against him. Van blinked hard and then rushed over to her, grabbing her under the arms as she began to slid down the guards body and lifting her up into his own arms.

" What happened here? " he asked the guard.

" I thought she was an intruder, Sire, so I followed her and called out to her. She didn't answer, Sire, so I tackled her and this is how it happened.. " he replied as he nodded to the robe.

Van shot a nasty look at him, " Next time be more careful! "

The guard bowed deeply, " Sire! I'm sorry... "

" Alright. I understand... "

Allen came up behind the guard and caught sight of Hitomi. He whistled low and deep, " Whoa... "

Van held her up with one arm. With the other, he reached out to brush aside some strands of long hair from her face.

" I think she should be alright. Let's get her inside and then clean her up again... " he told them, wrapping his arm around her thighs now as he held her to his chest.

' _That smell... where have I smelt that before? The robe... closet..._ ' Hitomi wondered as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of deep reddish-brown ones.

" Are you alright? " Van asked as he searched her face, looking for any other signs of trouble.

Hitomi winced and tried to shift in his arms, but she ended up crying out. She closed her eyes against the tears and slowly shook her head.

" I-it hurts all over.... " she whispered in a soft pained voice.

Van nodded, " I know.. I'm sorry about that... " he replied lightly as he began to walk across the courtyard to the castle. " We're going to have you cleaned up in a second... "

Hitomi nodded and rested her head against his chest, a very small smile on her lips, " Where am I? "

Van looked down at her again, " Fanelia... "

" Where's that? I've never heard of it. Am I in America? Cananda? "

Van blinked and then chuckled low in his throat. Hitomi smiled again as she felt it vibrate nicely in her ear.

" What's Canada? What's America? I have never heard of those strange names before... "

Hitomi opened her eyes and looked at him, " You mean... we're not in America? "

Van shook his head.

" Canada?! "

Van shook his head again.

" Then where are we?! " Hitomi demanded, completely panicking now.

" Fanelia... I already told you that. "

" No! " she snapped. " What do you mean, ' Fanelia'? Where's Fanelia? "

" In Gaea... " Van replied slowly.

Hitomi closed her eyes and then sighed heavily, " I think I need some more sleep... what's your name? "

Van cocked his head to the side as he watched her, " Van Slanzar de Fanel... who might you be? "

" Hitomi... Hitomi Kanzaki... "

_~~~~*~~~~_

" Sire? What do you think will happen to her? " one of the personal advisors asked softly, leaning over the arm of the throne, peering at the king of the Ispano Clan.

Emil LaIspani pursed his full lips, propping his chin on his hand, staring out straight ahead at the pure gold figurines that adorned the long, large walls of his chambers. He glanced over at Miko and Mika, his right-hand and left-hand advisors.

He sneered, " I don't think, Miko, I _know_ what'll happen to her if she stays with that Fanel guy... "

Miko crinkled his nose, " But, Sire! How do you know for certain that she's with him? I mean... you do remember what his mother said right? "

Emil looked at Miko and frowned deeply, " No... I don't know. What _did_ she say? "

Mika bit his lip, " She said that the one who will bring death upon Gaea will be upon us before we know it. If we allow her passage onto our planet, all things will die and remain dead... " 

Emil snorted, " I was never informed of this... "

" Well, Sire... that's because you... never asked... " Mika replied in a quiet voice.

Emil's head jerked in his way, " What was that?! Are you telling me that you've been keeping this from me for how long...? "

" Uh.... ten years, Sire... " Miko answered.

Emil nodded, " Thank you, Miko. Ten years, Mika! " he bellowed. " Ten whole damn years. Why else was I never informed of this? " he demanded, sitting back in his throne.

" Because you weren't crowned king at the time, Sire. You're father, deceased king Palroe LaIspani was... Sire... " Miko added.

Emil rolled his completely clear blue eyes, " Right... " he muttered softly, exasperated. " The great old king Palroe. It wasn't _my_ he's dead so early, it's Lig Vista's! "

" Sire... Lig Vista is dead. He's been dead for over precisely twenty years now... " Miko said.

Emil jumped up from his throne and crossed the room to stand in front of the window, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes narrowed as he watched a bunch of birds fly by. Mika and Miko exchanged worried glances before Miko gave Mika a shove towards Emil.

" S-sire... what will do about her? "

Emil glanced over his shoulder at him and smirked, " What do I normally do when I want something that I can't have? " he simply replied.

Now was the time for Mika and Miko to worry, which is exactly what they did as they stared at their king's broad back, their green eyes wide in horror...

_~~~~*~~~~_

Van nearly fell over with her in his arms. Hitomi's arms shot out and she encircled them around his neck, holding onto him tightly in case he dropped her. She tried to look at him, get a glimpse of his expression, but he held her tight to him, keeping her from seeing him, but Hitomi was persistent.

" What's the matter with you? " she asked, suddenly slipping her arms from his neck to place them against his chest to push him slightly away from her.

'_ By the Gods.... _ ' Van thought to himself in shock.

" Van? Are you alright? " Allen asked, coming to his side to take Hitomi from his arms in case he fell back.

Hitomi frowned at Allen and shot a hand out to push him away. She didn't want to go with the blonde guy, she wanted to stay with this one... for now.

" No... don't. Just leave me alone... " she said, slapping away Allen's gloved hands as they reached for her.

" He'll drop you... " Allen warned, reaching for her again, only to have his hands slapped away again.

As Hitomi launched a hand at him, going to throw his hands away now as they began to slide under her body, she felt another rip inside of her and this caused funny looking bright spots of colours to dance in front of her eyes. She suddenly arched her back from Van's arms, her head thrown back as she moaned loudly, tears coming to her eyes.

Van blinked, feeling the suddenly movement in his arms, snapping him back into reality from his thoughts. He saw Allen pulling Hitomi from his arms, but something made him pull away, his own arms tightening their hold on Hitomi's body as he took a step back from Allen.

" Just let me deal with her, Allen... " he said calmly, eyeing the older man before shifting Hitomi to the other side.

" Hitomi.. " he whispered to her, catching sight of the small crystals that fell down her cheeks in silence.

Hitomi bit her lip and then broke down, sobbing, turning her face towards Van, burying it into his chest. Allen watched in silence, eyeing Hitomi suspiciously. Van swallowed and then shifted her again so that she was almost touching the ground.

" Hitomi. Listen to me... spread you legs, bend your knees and then wrap them around my waist. Alright? You understand? " he whispered to her.

Hitomi crinkled her nose and did as she was told. Once her legs were wrapped around Van's waist, Van placed his right forearm under her rear as a seat and then wrapped his other arm around her back, pressing her close for some reason. Hitomi buried her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the sweet musky scent that he carried.

" I-is this... better for you, Hitomi? " Van asked softly into her ear, slowly beginning to make his way towards the castle from the courtyard.

Hitomi closed her eyes and nodded, " Yes... thank you, Van... " she whispered into his neck, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Allen blinked and then sighed, " Well... this is going better then planned... " he muttered under his breath before following them from the courtyard...

_~~~~*~~~~_

" So what's this all about, Ceasae? I'm suppose to be in bed now.... " Merle said, yawning loudly as she watched the frail old woman sitting across the long dinning table.

Ceasae Freska crinkled her nose and leaned towards Merle, her small beady black eyes kind, yet hard at the same time, " Child... you don't know of the dangers that lay ahead... do you? " she asked lightly, her frail, wrinkled fingers laying on top of a stack of cards.

Merle tilted her head to the side, " No.... what do you mean? "

Ceasae blinked and then reached up to brush aside some fire red hair that was still turning gray, but slowly, " The talked about one has arrived, Merle. The prophecized one... the one the Draconians feared... "

Merle nodded slowly and then reached over to cover Ceasae's hand with her paw, " Please... go on, Ceasae... " she said softly, her light blue eyes serious.

Ceasae nodded and gave Merle's hand a gentle squeeze, " Five thousand years ago, Merle... about three centuries after Gaea had been created, there had been a horrible battle. The battle consisted of the Draconians, the Gonglise and the Dopplegangers. You see, Merle... the Draconians and the Gonglise were cousins... "

" Then why were they fighting if they were related? "

" It wasn't the Draconians who started it. It was the Gonglise who started it. A member of the Gonglise betrayed them all by going to the Dopplegangers. That one Gonglise was the cause of the pain that our planet still feels to this very day, Merle. It was because of him that the Draconian's don't exsist anymore, that's why they're so rare to find... "

Merle frowned deeply, " I still don't understand, Ceasae. How'd that one Gonglise betray the Draconians and his clan? " she asked, leaning forward on the table, watching the older woman, completely captivated.

Ceasae chuckled, " In good time will you understand, my child. All in good time... that one Gonglise betrayed his clan an his cousins by sneaking off to the dopplegangers, making a deal with them that if they were to kill all their members, all but one, the leader, the Gonglise were going to share the secret to Atlantis with them... "

" So... if the dopplegangers killed off _all_ their members, but the leader, the Gonglise were going to share with them the secret to unlocking the power of Atlantis? "

Ceasae nodded, " Yes! Now you've getting somewhere... "

Merle waved a hand through the air, " So then... what did the Draconians do about it? "

" Oh, they were mad, Merle. They were mad.... "

" What'd they do? "

" They cast eternal darkness of Gaea... "

" Really?! Wow! So what about the battle... "

" The battle? Well.. after the Draconians found out that their own cousins had deceived them, they were extremely angered by this and then cast eternal darkness on the planet. That's when the fighting began. The Gonglise weren't at all _that_ skilled as the Draconians... "

" How so? "

" Well... the draconians were beautiful people. They had their angelic-like wings, their slim figures... everything that resembled an angel. While the Gonglise had the opposite, resembling something more that lived underground for the past twenty or so centuries. The Gonglise had large fangs, no wings, stumby legs and they were also hairy... "

Merle shuddered and then glanced at the stack of cards, " What are those, Ceasae? "

Ceasae followed her gaze and smiled softly, " They're the holders of the future, child... "

" Really? What do they do? " Merle asked, crossing her legs under the table.

" Would you like a reading? " Ceasae asked lightly, getting ready to flip the top card.

Merle looked uneasy. She bit her lip, eyeing the cards before slowly nodding, " S-sure... it won't scare me, will it? "

Ceasae shrugged, " That's not for me to know, Merle. It'll be your future that will be told, not mine... "

Merle nodded and Ceasae flipped the top card, placing it face-up on the side. Merle furrowed her brow, looking at it strangely, while Ceasae sat there, watching it, a faraway look in her eyes. 

" Child... " Ceasae whispered, causing Merle to look at her.

" What is it, Ceasae? How come you're so pale? " Merle asked, watching Ceasae's pale wrinkled face as small beads of sweat slid down the sides of her face.

" Child... let the card stay like this. Don't you _ever_ move it until I say. U-understand? " she asked, her voice slowly turning into a raspy gasp.

Merle jumped up from her chair and ran around the table to crouch beside the old lady, her hand on her thigh and the other on her back.

" Ceasae?! You're going to be alright.... hang on, I'll go get Puck... " she said, getting up to leave, but Ceasae shot out a hand and grabbed Merle's wrist, bringing her back.

" T-there's more to tell y-you about the Pre-destined War, child, but so little time... " she tried to continue, but her voice was nothing but a soft whisper that still couldn't be heard.

Merle blinked and frowned, " I don't understand it though, Ceasae! You have to stay with me, don't leave me yet... " she pleaded, clutching the old woman's hand in her own tightly.

Ceasae smiled softly and then reached out to bring Merle's head to her lips. Pressing her lips to Merle's forehead, she let out her last breath and then slowly pulled away to fall to the ground from the chair, the cards falling along with her to scatter around her, all face-up.

Merle swallowed and shook her head, tears brimming her eyes, " C-ceasae? Ceasae?! N-no! By the Gods... this can't be happening... " she whispered as she backed away from the chair, her watery eyes skimming along the table to come to a rest on the card that sat there by itself.

Merle swallowed and then swipped at her eyes to brush aside the tears, as she leaned over to get a better look at the handwritten letters. She frowned slightly and then reached out to pick it, completely forgetting about Ceasae's warning to not touch the card.

" L-la... huh? " she whispered to herself, trying to figure out what it said, but couldn't understand the last word...

_~~~~*~~~~_

'_ I'm dead... yeah. That has to be the only reason for this... this isn't real, or else I'm dead, gone. Where am I anyway? This doesn't look like home... _ ' Hitomi thought to herself as she stood up off the ground and began to walk around the dark area, not knowing at all where she was going until she hit something hard, her forehead tingling with pain.

" Son of a -- " she muttered, but then stopped as a sudden burst of light flashed overhead and rained down in front of her, causing her to jump back to safety.

Out from the light, emerged a peculiar looking person or... thing. Long white wings, beautiful, feathers all fluffy and stark white, stretched out behind them. Their deep green eyes found hers and she stiffled a gasp as the person walked towards her, their hand outstretched.

" I'm not going to hurt you... " they said softly, their voice soft and melodic, carrying lightly in the wind that blew past them.

Hitomi swallowed and then slowly outstretched her hand, feeling the soft, almost alien-like fingers wrap themselves around her hand. She was surprised when she was yanked roughly towards them, her face right underneath theirs as they stared at her as if trying to see into her very soul.

" This is the one! " they shouted. " She has betrayed us all, she is the one who wishes to do evil with the secrets, the power! What must we do to betrayers?! "

" Destroy!! " a bunch of voices shouted from all around, the scene of darkness suddenly changing into that of a world of red.

Hitomi felt her heart gripped by fear as she stared wide-eyed at the one who still held her hand clutched tightly. She gave a tug to get her hand back, but they pulled her closer, their mouth resting on her forehead, something warm, moist darting past the rough lips to caress her smooth forehead.

" Stop it! " she screamed, squirming, trying to get away. " Let me go... "

" Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! "

That's all the voices said from all around. Repeating the same thing over and over under it was permenantly implanted into Hitomi's brain. She felt a burning on her forehead and she grunted from it as she curled her hand into a tight fist and then let it fly at their chest, hoping to inflict damage.

The blow didn't hurt them. It hurt her more. Hitomi was pushed away slightly, her forehead feeling strange to her as the grip on her hand was gone to be replaced by nothing but the heavy air swirling around her. She looked at the person who had touched her forehead with their tongue and they grinned at her, lifting a hand in the air, their palm facing her.

" Now... you have been revealed to the world... you will die... " they said simply, a strange looking almond shaped object suddenly appearing in the middle of his palm and then closing to be opened again.

Hitomi took a step back, her foot hitting nothing but air as her hand had done. She screamed out as she felt herself falling back and then...

_Flash!_

Something grabbed her forearm and brought her back onto steady ground, not letting her go either afterwards. Hitomi swallowed thickly, trying to force back the tears that had slid into her eyes as she lifted her head to find herself staring into a pair of clear blue eyes.

" Ah! So nice of you to drop by... isn't it? " they asked.

Hitomi nodded slowly, swallowing again, " W-who are you? What do you want? "

" Must you really need to know? "

Hitomi nodded again, " Of course I need to know! " she snapped.

" Well in that case. You're going to die. " they stated simply, staring her dead in the eye. " You're going to die and there's not a damn thing you or I or even anyone else can do about it because, well... we'll all be dead along with you... "

Hitomi's eyes were wide and she blinked a few times, shaking her head, " No. I will _not_ die and neither will anyone else. Tell me... tell me who you are, " she demanded.

They shook their head sadly, " I'm sorry that I can't say. But what I can say is that.... you will be mine shortly. In time... I wil have you and no one will come to rescue you, not even the little king... " he whispered into her ear after pulling her close.

Hitomi was dumbstruck. She suddenly opened her mouth to say something but she was catapulted back through the air, suddenly falling to her death that awaited her below, the face of the person who had thrown her over the edge, staring down at her, a nasty leer on their face...

" Ahhh! " Hitomi screamed, bolting up in the bed, her hair flying to a rest in her face, matting itself down with the sweat that bathed her body completely as she sat there, heart pounding viciously against her ribcage as if wanting to get out.

Van blinked and watched her, " Are you.... alright, Hitomi? " he asked, leaning forward in the chair that sat by the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

Hitomi turned her head to the side and then closed her eyes as she let out a long, big breath of relief for knowing she ws still alive and not completely mangled and torn from the rocks that had been laying below her as she fell to her death. There was a light touch on her shoulder and she jumped, completely startled.

" Hitomi? " Van called out her name slowly and firmly. " You're in bed. You fell asleep in my arms while I was carrying you up. You've been asleep for four hours... "

" You don't have to talk to me like I'm a small child and not going to understand you... " Hitomi murmured softly, reaching up to plow a hand through her hair, grimacing as the pain in her abdomen acted up again.

Van sighed heavily and watched her, watched how the light of the moon shining into the room casted eerie looks to her soft, beautifully featured face, watched how the look of stress and lots of tension brought an older appearance to her face.

" Are you alright? " he asked again.

Hitomi ran a hand over her face and then turned in the bed to face him, grimacing again," Y-yeah... I'm going to live.. " she assured him. '_ I hope... _ '

Van nodded and smiled lightly, " That's good to hear. Look, Hitomi... I'm sorry, and I'm sure Allen is as well for.. well, for injuring you the other day... " he apologized softly, watching her.

Hitomi waved a hand through the air, " It's alright, Van... so I'll have a few scars on my body, at least it didn't kill me... "

Van knitted his brow as he watched her, taking her in, taking in how the clothes clung to her nicely figured body because of the sweat. Hitomi blinked and then giggled, grimacing, drawing a curious stare from Van.

" What? " he asked, completely baffled.

Hitomi giggled even more now from the look of innocence on his face, " N-nothing... " she said through giggles.

Van rolled his eyes, " Riiiiight! If you weren't injured, I'd probably tackle you right now to that bed and make you laugh harder at something that isn't even funny.... " he threatened jokingly.

" I'd like to see you try to, Van. You wouldn't be able to catch me if your life depended on it! " she vowed, sliding the blankets back to reveal long well toned legs that were pale in the moonlight.

Van stared at her legs, completely captivated. He gave himself a mental shake and then shook his head, slowly standing up from the chair.

" Where do you think you're going? You're injured... "

Hitomi chuckled and then slipped off the bed, pulling down the shirt she guessed was his. She looked at him and tilted her head to the side before running towards the door.

" It's doesn't take a stomach and back to run, Van... " she called out to him before slipping from the room in nothing but one of his shirts.

Van blinked and then blinked again, completely stunned by her. He glanced at the rumpled sheets and then over at the open door before sighing heavily, unhooking his sword from his belt, placing it on the bed and then taking off after her.

" Catch me if you can! " her voice echoed throughout the hallways.

Van smirked and then shook his head smiling, " Man... I'm going to be outrun by a girl... " he muttered as he turned a corner and bumped head on into Allen.

" What the -- " he cried out, stumbling back.

Allen blinked and then brushed aside some hair from his eyes, " Van! What are you doing? "

" Don't have time for chitchat, Allen... gotta go catch someone... " he called over his shoulder as he took off again, nearly tripping over the carpet that covered the long length of the long hallway.

" Hey! Hitomi? Where did you go? " Van shouted out, stopping to catch his breath.

Something poked him in the side hard, causing him to whirl around wincing, his hand on his side as he spotted Hitomi running away from him. Van chuckled in his chest and took off after her. Hitomi glanced over her shoulder to see if he was coming and let out a squeal as she spotted him catching up quickly.

' _So, he does know how to run... hmph!_ ' she thought as she turned a corner to find herself in front of a dead end.

Van snorted, " She's in for it now... dead end! " he shouted, just about to turn the corner, following her, but was shoved back as she lunged at him, pushing him away as she giggled and ran the way they had came.

" Ha ha! Think again, mister king of all Fanelia! " Hitomi shouted over her shoulder, wincing as she felt her lungs feel like they wanted to burst.

Van pursed his lips and once again took off after her, noticing she was slowly down. He let out a silent victory shout inside his head as he caught up to her quickly and tackled her from behind, sending her to the ground, him on top of her, his chest rising and falling rapidly against her back, feeling thei hearts mingle, going along with the same beat.

" Oof! " Hitomi grunted as she hit the ground, a weight slightly heavier then hers pressed down against her, making her feel strange.

Van licked his lips and then slowly got off of her, but not completely, only enough to flip her onto her back, he sat on her lightly straddling her.

" How do you like that for someone who wouldn't be able to catch you, huh? " he asked, slightly amused by this game.

Hitomi smirked and licked her own lips, " Well... there are... many others.. " she said, slightly breathless. " But, I'll teach them to you sometime later on... "

" Oh? " Van asked with the jerk of his left dark brow.

Hitomi nodded, watching him watch her. Van suddenly lowered his upper half to hers, supporting his weight on his elbows as he looked at her, his eyes roaming over her slightly flushed skin, watching the small beads of sweat collet on her brow.

" Is something... wrong, Van? " Hitomi whispered, suddenly feeling herself trying to inch away from him.

Van shook his head, " Shh... " he whispered, inching his face downwards slowly.

" Shh, what? " she whispered back, her eyes lingering on his lips that were so tantalisingly close.

" I'm looking... " Van's reply came back soft and tender as he brought his mouth to Hitomi's, but didn't press it to hers.

Hitomi swallowed and then lifted her head upwards slightly so that their lips brushed across each other in a soft feathery touch that made her toes curl in wonder, excitement. Van felt the brush of her lips and then felt himself kissing her back, but she began to pull away as if uncertain. He slid a hand behind her neck, bringing her mouth back to his in new hunger, slowly lifting himself off of her, bringing her into his lap in the middle of the hallway, their lips never leaving each other.

Hitomi pressed her hands to his chest, taking in handfuls of his red shirt that hung loosely on his broad chest nicely. She pressed her lips to his over and over, suddenly feeling the fevered touch of his tongue as the tip brushed across her lower lip, asking her, begging for admittance which she gave immediately.

They tongues met halfway, slowly moving towards each other with uncertainty to where this would all lead, but Van didn't want to go there just yet. He was just dying to taste her when he had first seen her there, kneeling in front of him, his and Allen's swords embedded in her body.

There was a loud gasp behind them and Hitomi was the first to pull away. Van's eyes snapped open and he saw Merle standing behind Hitomi, her hand clenched tightly around something. Hitomi slowly slid off of his lap, but he wrapped an arm around her small waist, holding her still, holding her against the stiff bulge that strained against his pants, making him die with need, making her squirm uncomfortably.

" Merle? What is it? " he asked, looking at her, taking in the matted orange fur of her cheeks, taking in the streaks of tears.

Merle shook her head and then dropped what she was holding in her hand on the ground beside Hitomi face-up before whirling around and running away, her sobs trailing after her. Hitomi looked at Van and then down at what was placed beside her thigh. She gasped and picked it up, bringing it up to her face to read it.

'_The Death card? B-but... how? I left my tarot cards back on Earth... _ '

Van watched as Hitomi's face paled. He brought a hand to the side of her face, cupping it, bringing her eyes around to meet his, but they didn't reach his, oh no they didn't. They were seeing something entirely different then his face, his worried eyes, his slightly parted mouth.

_Flash!_

She was there again. Walking up and down the hallways, her hands bound behind her back tightly, painfully, her head hung low, her hair falling in front of it, curtaining it from view. She heard someone to her right, but she couldn't turn her head to look at them, to ask for help. She was all alone, lost and all alone in a world that she didn't belong in.

She felt something run through her shoulders, pass right through her bone, pass right through her muscles, everything. It was like she didn't exsist to them, but then why could they see her and talk to her? Why couldn't she talk back to them this time? It was because of him. He had asked her to come.

She remembered in her dreams that he had cried out to her to help him. But... help him with what? And how? She didn't even know where he lived to begin with until the link had made it's way through, all the way to his world.

" C-can you hear them? She's crying... she's sad... " a small, sad voice spoke out from behind her.

_Flash!_

They shouted at her. Loud and hard. Telling her to burn. Tell her to leave them alone. Hard objects were thrown at her, hitting her everywhere, making her body go completely numb, making it bleed as two strange looking creatures came up to her, grabbing her tied wrists roughly and then lifted her up into the air, tying her bounded wrists to something behind her that she couldn't obviously see.

It suddenly went dark as she was blindfolded. Intense pain followed from her shoulders as she felt her arms being ripped off, soon to follow, her legs and then her head. She sobbed. Low tortured sobs that rose to be greater then the shouts for her to die.

Suddenly the pain was gone and the shouting had stopped... but for one single voice...

_Flash!_

" Hitomi?! Dammnit, Hitomi! " Van shouted as he yanked her off the ground and stood her up, her body slowly beginning to slide down his until her held her up by placing his hands under her arms.

" Hitomi, wake up! Come back to me, now! " he shouted again, this time in her ear.

Hitomi's eyes flew open and she let out a loud scream, completely slipping from his hands to crumple to the ground at his feet on her knees, her head in her hands, her hands over her ears, trying to push out the shouts. Van immediately followed, grabbing her shoulders roughly and giving her a hard shake.

Hitomi's head snapped back and forth like a simple ragdoll until Van got ahold of himself and just sat there in front her, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, his reddish-brown eyes wide and scared for what he had just done to her and saw from her.

" H-hitomi? Are you alright? " he asked, blinking, his eyes going back to their normal size as he searched her face.

Hitomi looked at Van before bringing the card up to look at it.

'_ Death card... it can't possibly mean that.. no! It can't, it wouldn't!_ ' she thought before suddenly feeling lightheaded.

Van watched as her sea-green eyes rolled back into her head, her head thrown back as she went completely limp in his hands...

_~~~~*~~~~_

_Author's Note:_ I told you so! I told you it would be weird...


End file.
